Battle of Guadalcanal: Photos from Second World War combat

October 22, 2012

This image of a Japanese soldier’s burned head staked on a tank shocked the nation and became a symbol of the brutality of the Battle for Guadalcanal

Via MailOnline:

It was a battle for a tiny island in the South Pacific no bigger than Delaware, but it became a turning point in the Allied fight against Japan during World War II. Nearly 7,000 Americans died fighting for control of Guadalcanal for six months between August 1942 and February 1943.

During the campaign, one horrifying image stood out — helping to define the grueling combat as 60,000 Aliied soldiers and Marines tried to pry the island away from 36,000 determined, dug-in Japanese defenders.